


These Tired Bones

by NuclearNik



Series: Zutara Drabble December [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Protective Zuko (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27863585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearNik/pseuds/NuclearNik
Summary: Katara runs herself ragged, and Zuko is there to pick her up and put her to bed.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Drabble December [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039909
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	These Tired Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all! I’m participating in [Zutara Drabble December](https://zkdrabbledecember.tumblr.com/post/636225569823080448/zkdd-2020-prompt-list), and this is my day one submission. Why yes, it is the 3rd of the month but we will just ignore that, hmm? I’ll be posting the two days I missed and then continuing on for 31 days of our favorite idiots in love!
> 
> Prompt: Nightfall

It isn't often that he is able to study her like this, moonlight casting a silver glow on her skin and long lashes making shadows on her cheeks.

She rarely goes to sleep before he does, and she is somehow always up before dawn, before most of the palace has roused.

There is always so much she wants to do; she wrings every last drop of potential out of each day, makes the most of every minute.

Sometimes to her own detriment.

Tonight, for example.

She'd been out in the nearby villages before the sun had even begun to crest the horizon, healing and teaching, making the citizens of the tiny towns feel heard, seen. 

The guards Zuko insisted accompany her on these outings were often conscripted into lugging around crates of food and essential supplies. Gruff as they appeared, very few could resist the pull of Katara. She shone so brightly, brought a sense of warmth wherever she went, and when she turned that smile on them, they were done for.

He didn't blame them. He, too, was happily under her spell.

But he wished sometimes that she wasn't so stubborn. Her endless days and tireless work were catching up to her, purple smudges appearing beneath her eyes, her reflexes slower. She pushed and pushed and gave and gave until she had nothing left to give, and he'd been summoned tonight when she collapsed just outside the palace gates, her body succumbing to the bone deep exhaustion.

When he got there, he stopped the guards from picking her up; he would carry her in. Sliding his arms under her knees and around her shoulders, he cradled her to him, the steady rise and fall of her chest bringing him comfort as he traversed the halls towards their rooms, ignoring the slight looks of shock from the palace's occupants.

His father had relished in being royalty. He'd done nothing himself, would never have sullied his robes or stooped low enough to pick his wife up from the ground.

Zuko is not that kind of royal. He doesn't want the false praise, the ego stroking, the lavish life earned simply by the blood in his veins.

He wants a reputation built on using his position and power in ways that help the most people, make the most positive change.

He wants to be remembered for the things he does, not who he is by birth.

Now, cloistered away in their rooms, he lies on his side, propped up on one elbow as he watches Katara sleep, the kind of rest had only by the dead or utterly exhausted.

Brushing the backs of his knuckles across her cheeks, he soaks in the sweet, simple peace of the moment.

The blankets shift, and then she is turning toward him, her body seeking his like a flower to the sun even in the throes of deep sleep.

He wasn't planning on retiring just yet; he has a meeting with the General of the United Forces, but when she curls up against him, he knows in that moment that he won't deny her anything.

Shrugging off his outer robes, he carefully lifts the sheets and slides into bed, unable to keep the smile from his face when Katara snuggles up close, her cheek pressed to his chest and her hair tickling his nose.

The meeting would just have to be rescheduled.

He has far more important things to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! As always, I’d love to know your thoughts. Come say hi to me on Tumblr! I promise I don’t bite... hard. You can’t find me @nuclearnik <3


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